Plans approved for second sauna at Sea Lanes wellness hub

Good news for wellness enthusiasts on Brighton's seafront – a proposal to expand the popular Luna Hut sauna facility at Sea Lanes has been given the green light.

The planning application, submitted in May, sought permission to install a second sauna at the beloved beachfront destination. The new unit would complement the existing facility that has already become a cherished part of the Sea Lanes wellness community.

Community backing shows strong support

The expansion has received overwhelming support from local residents, with 23 letters of backing submitted through Brighton and Hove City Council's planning portal. Community members have praised Luna Hut's existing sauna as "a fantastic business and a huge asset for this area" and highlighted how it "offers a great area for community and wellbeing".

One regular visitor expressed their enthusiasm, saying: "I fully support the expansion of another sauna at their current location. As a regular user of many of the facilities on Madeira Drive, it's been really nice to see such a community being created down there."

A growing wellness destination

Sea Lanes has evolved into a vibrant recreational and wellbeing hub on the seafront, offering open-water swimming, fitness classes, yoga and other leisure activities. The existing Luna Hut sauna already forms an integral part of this wellness ecosystem, operating seamlessly alongside other Sea Lanes facilities.

Luna Hut, which operates saunas across the South Coast in Eastbourne, Bognor and Worthing, designed the new sauna to be a small, temporary structure using an electric stove. Like its neighbouring facility, the new unit will remain fully removable and follow the same design and operational principles as the existing sauna.

Addressing concerns

Whilst the proposal received strong support, two objections were submitted during the consultation period. Some residents raised concerns about potential overdevelopment of the seafront, whilst others pointed to alternative sauna facilities already available nearby.

However, the planning approval suggests these concerns were outweighed by the clear community enthusiasm for expanding wellness offerings at a destination that has already established itself as a valued asset for Brighton residents.

The expansion represents another step forward for Sea Lanes' continued development as a community-focused leisure destination, bringing more opportunities for visitors to enjoy health and wellbeing activities on the seafront.

Source: Decision made on plans for 'fantastic' seafront sauna expansion project